Just a reminder...

There's still a chance to Play it Forward... You never know what you might win...

A few things to catch up on...

Like the fact that LeGrand has four teeth now....

And we are now Chicken Ranchers... the cows will return soon to take their place in the freezer... and I am totally thrilled about that - looking forward to some home-grown beef!

And I'm ready for Spring Break to be over.

Cooking with a Wood Stove...

Isn't really as difficult as it seems. It's like doing Dutch Oven all the time. 99% of the time we cook with Cast Iron (saves on dish soap), and the other 1% of the time I'm trying to figure out how to keep the food from sticking to the bottom of the non-cast pan. It's a delicate balance of lots of shortening and getting the pan really hot. I haven't remembered which yet.

So when my parents came to visit, we did something really fun. We went to some Antique stores in Aurora, OR - the Antique Capital of Oregon (for those of you who really care...). It was a BLAST! In fact, it was so much fun, that Andrew and I went back... and then we went back again. And what do we have to show for our return visits???

A wire chicken. It comes in "eggstremely" handy as the egg basket. (Sorry. The pun just slipped out like a bad yolk...)

A popcorn popper. It's really cool. You put the oil in, put some popcorn in, sit it on top of the wood stove, and wait for the kernels to start poppin'! Then, you turn the fun little handle on the top until the top pops off, and you've got yourselves a nice, healthy snack. At least it's healthy until you add the butter and the caramel and the other toppings. We never do this... RIIIIIIGHT.

And then... the piece that we're MOST excited for... (and I would be lying if I didn't admit that it has a few people wondering if we've lost our collective minds...)

THIS:

I will be the first person to say that there is going to be a learning curve when it comes to baking in the oven. That's not something that I've ever done, and I'm certain that the bread isn't going to come out quite the way I want it to the first time or two. However, I am thoroughly looking forward to "slaving over a hot stove" literally.

Yes, we know this is a step back for most people. Frankly, we don't care. We are planning on putting this new stove in the kitchen where the old stove (the electric one that gathers dust and is only used on Sundays - and then only maybe...) currently sits. We're also moving the refrigerator (no, we're not getting rid of it) into the pantry so that we can have a nice work area next to the stove. The next step is to take all the tile out of the kitchen so that we can actually use the wood floors that are underneath it... (We've already taken the pergo out of the dining room to some VERY pleasant surprises...), and then... the hearth. And after that, we'll install the stove, and then... as I've heard, We're prepared for some of the best meals we've ever tasted.

It's going to be fun. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

P.S. Look closely, and you'll see the chicken and the popper on top of the stove...

Paying it Forward with Callie...

The Rules:
1. Be one of the first THREE to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me- something crafty or yummy, who knows?!
2. Winners must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift-anything!- for the first Three bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!
3. The gift that you send your THREE friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And remember, It's the Spirit and the Thought that Counts!
4. When you receive your gift feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love!

If you are not one of the Top Three Commentators on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward and encourage your blogging friends to do the same! So remember...it is good... :) Pass it Forward! And I might feel generous and send something to the first FOUR people so don't quit commenting at three :)

Quickly... I'm supposed to be working...

Not anywhere but here at home, but I have LOADS of laundry waiting for me to fold them (and they've been waiting for a LONG time...), bread that needs to be made, and contacts that need to be contacted.

It's a busy day.

So... in short, here they are, "just the facts, Ma'am".

Savannah: still in school, still loving it, but realizing that there are benefits to staying home on some days. Learning to so more chores at home, and finding out that cleaning the toilet isn't as fun as she thought it was to begin with.

Margaret, aka "Sweetie Pie": developing quite the vocabulary, but not quite able to say the "s" sound. Her friend Sam has an unfortunate name when the S is replaced with a D sound... Margaret now calls him "The friend with the name that We don't Say..." She's also learning the value of work, and cried last night when I told her that her chores were finished. We'll see how long that lasts. Today, she informed me that she needed to eat a banana because she's a monkey.

LeGrand: Cutting his FOURTH tooth, crawling all over the place, saying "da-da-da-da-da..." and laughing when Andrew says, "don't you mean ma-ma-ma-ma...?" He's also very much a boy and into almost everything. He keeps me on my toes. And out of my bed at night.

Andrew and Linda: working on advertising the photography business. People are still getting married, and the money that they're NOT spending on remodeling their homes, they are throwing some of it towards wedding pictures. So... visit www.lindastahrphotography.com to see what we've been up to! And Linda is looking very much to attending WICKED tonight!!!

And I think that's the catch up for now. I'll post more later when I have more time to say what I want to say.

Oh yeah... and did I mention that we're getting ready to install a wood cookstove in our kitchen? I am SOOOOOOO excited! And Andrew took the Pergo (Yuck) off of the dining room floor to find some beautiful, although a bit rough around the edges Fir floors! Can't wait to see what it ALL looks like!

Pictures will be forthcoming. LJ is demanding my attention now.